1. The Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to an exercise device designed to augment the exercise of body muscles without attaching weights or weighted objects to the user.
2. The Background Art
Exercise suits having built-in means for increasing the effort required of a user to run, flex his legs, flex his arms, or otherwise exercise have been developed in recent years. Such suits are an alternative to attaching weights or weighted objects to the user because they include tension straps which are stretched as the user exercises. Thus, the amount or degree of force required of the user is increased without requiring the user to carry additional weight.
Typically, such suits consist of a unitary full-length garment having a pant portion and a shirt or torso portion. Tension straps are permanently affixed in liners running the length or width of the body portion to be affected. For example, in the pant portion of such a suit, the tension straps run from a sock or boot about the user's foot to the waist region of the suit. Thus, as the user flexes and relaxes his legs, the tension straps work either with or against the user's muscles, as desired.
In some suits, similar tension straps are placed in the sleeve portions of the suit such that flexing and relaxing of the arms alternately stretches and relaxes the straps, as desired. In both cases, the tension strap is permanently attached to at least the waist region and the other end is permanently attached to a part of the suit near the foot or hand of the user such as the leg of the suit, stirrup, boot, sock, or glove.
In some suits, the attached tension straps are adjustable at some point intermediate to the length of the tension strap.
A serious disadvantage of these presently available exercise suits is the fact that the tension straps are permanently affixed to the suits. There are times when it would be desirable to replace a strap, such as when a strap is damaged through use or cleaning or when a strap having a different stress/strain ratio is desired. Ready replacement of a strap in an existing suit is difficult if, indeed, possible at all, by the user.
Another disadvantage is the fact that the pants portion and the shirt portion are of unitary construction requiring the use of the entire suit during use. This does not accommodate the user who needs or wishes to exercise only a discrete portion of the body. No such option is available with presently available suits. Furthermore, putting on such a suit is more difficult than putting on a shirt and pants separately. This might be important for handicapped people, senior citizens, persons undergoing physical therapy or rehabilitation.
A still further disadvantage is the fact that the tension straps cannot readily be removed by the user without compromising the integrity of the suit. This complicates cleaning of the suit or any desired use of the suit without the tension straps. Furthermore, there are times when a user may desire to eliminate the straps or at least to make adjustments such that continued exercise or activity does not place any extra requirements on his exertion efforts. With the existing suits, this is not possible absent the continual wearing of the entire suit with attached tension straps, gloves, boots, and the like.
A still further disadvantage is that existing suits do not effectively bias the tension strap against the body of the user with the result that the straps do not hug the body closely. This serves to at least partially affect the desired or consistent tension of the straps.